Queen Mary Hospital announces sentinel event
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) announced a sentinel event today (April 16):
 
     A female patient received a bilateral total knee replacement operation at QMH on April 8. She was hospitalised for rehabilitation treatment afterwards. She received postoperative X-ray examination on the following day and her progress of recovery was satisfactory. On April 12, the clinical team reviewed the patient situation as well as her X-ray image and found that the femoral implant put into the patient's right knee was in fact the component for a left knee.
 
     The doctor concerned met with the patient and her family on the same day to explain the incident and extend an apology. Although there is no serious immediate impact according to clinical assessment, the doctor suggested to perform a revision operation. The patient agreed and underwent the surgery uneventfully yesterday (April 15). The patient is in stable condition now. QMH will continue to provide necessary treatment and assistance.
 
     QMH is concerned about the incident and immediately reminded the clinical team to enhance communication during an operation. The incident has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. A root cause analysis panel will be established to look into the incident. The investigation report will be submitted to the Head Office in eight weeks.

Ends/Friday, April 16, 2021
Issued at HKT 17:10

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